Presenter: Michael Brandwein, educator/author/speaker How do we make sure that our programs are really teaching the skills young people need for success, health, and happiness in the complex and fast-changing 21st century? This exciting, skill-based keynote provides specific and practical examples of how we can make our programs distinctively valuable to the community by focusing on what it takes to move beyond fun, recreation, and homework support to teach essential skills for life that will make big differences in our world.

Michael Brandwein is an internationally acclaimed expert on working with young people. He has presented on six continents and in all 50 states. He has written five consecutive best-selling books on training and supervising youth leaders and on developing leadership and life skills in young people, including his latest book, Skill of the Day: What Great Leaders of Young People Do & Say. Michael wrote and presented three Emmy® award-winning television programs on communicating with youth. He is a frequent keynoter for national associations serving children and families. Michael has served on the national board of directors of the American Camp Association and has received two national awards for his training of directors and staff. He wrote and hosted a live presentation with Jim Henson's Muppets for HBO and the American Library Association to encourage young people to read. Michael's Juris Doctor Degree is from the University of Chicago and he lives with his wife and two sons in the Chicago area.

NEW in 2012! Leadership Seminar
Friday, April 20 1:00 – 5:00 PM

Superb Supervision:
Specific, Practical, & Powerful Techniques to Lead the Leaders for Outstanding School Program Success
Presenter: Michael Brandwein, educator/author/speaker

This skill-packed session by a nationally acclaimed, energizing youth program expert and the author of the nationally best-selling Super Staff SuperVision, demonstrates techniques you will use immediately to lead site supervisors and other program leaders to maximize performance and produce superb school age programs.

Included:

• Breaking through the number one invisible barrier to leadership development
  
• Developing our own leadership skills by converting the essential qualities of great leaders into the precise things successful leaders do and say, with over 200 immediately useable examples
  
• Specific skills to build open communication and higher collaboration, where people really say what they need and believe with greater trust and honesty
  
• Exactly what to say and do to create a culture of constant improvement and positive, constructive change instead of "we always do it this way"
  
• Using a two-step "reverse engineering" method to build solid working relationships with others
  
• Motivating others and preventing burnout by focusing on individual performance goals
  
• Superb coaching to support those you supervise and help them reach their highest levels of performance
  
• Handling undesired behavior and what to say and do when people are not meeting expectations
  
• And more!

Keynote
Saturday, April 21

"LOOK, I'M READY FOR LIFE-LONG SUCCESS—I CAN USE A PROTRACTOR!"
Outstanding Ways to Produce Real Youth Development in School Age Programs

Breakout Sessions

Conflict Communication:
How to Deal with Disagreement, Conflicts, & Hot People without Using a Blowtorch
Presenter: Michael Brandwein, educator/author/speaker

This dynamic session teaches practical, specific techniques that build stronger communication and enhance problem-solving with less stress and greater calmness, cooperation, and respect, including what to say and not to say when resolving disagreements, tailoring responses to the concerns of others, handling yellers and difficult people, and more.

Fast & Effective Techniques to Teach Essential Life Skills to Young People
Presenter: Michael Brandwein, educator/author/speaker

Keynoter Michael demonstrates nationally acclaimed skills of positive communication that you can use right away, every day, to teach young people cooperation, respect, creativity, confidence, caring, responsibility, listening, and more. Learn specifically what these skills for life look and sound like so you can make them grow like a pro!